We pull into the driveway. I’m sleepy and graceless but try to climb into his lap, unsuccessfully. I blurt: “I love you.” He’s startled. Pauses. I’ve thought about saying this for ages. It’s been six months, four of them long distance, nightly FaceTime calls talking until we (I) fall asleep. Cars rush by on the highway. A smile, at last. “I love you, too.” We spend the rest of the weekend saying it: “I love you” in a swan paddleboat, “I love you” in a record store, “I love you” in a Dairy Queen. We will keep saying it forever.
Emily Hessney Lynch is a freelance social media strategist who writes short stories. She lives in Rochester with her husband and their two rescue dogs. Instagram & Twitter: @EHL_writes .